{
  "abstract": "Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social communication and restricted, repetitive behavior. The etiology and pathophysiology of ASD remain largely unknown; however, a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors is widely assumed. More recently, altered cytokine/chemokine profiles and a potential vulnerability to mitochondrial alterations have been proposed.\n\nMethods: We measured blood lactate and pyruvate and quantified a cytokine/chemokine panel including IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8, IFN-β, RANTES, MCP-1/CCL2, MIP-1α/CCL3, MIP-1β/CCL4, CCL11/Eotaxin-1 and CXCL10/IP-10 in a group of autistic children in comparison to a non-autistic age-, gender- and IQ-matched control group.\n\nResults: We observed elevated lactate levels, lower concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in autistic- compared with control children. In addition, lactate, MIP-1β/CCL4 and TNF-α was significantly associated with behavioral measures of autistic behavior. Pyruvate, the lactate/pyruvate ratio and all other analytes did not differ between groups.\n\nDiscussion: We conclude that the observed cytokine/chemokine profile may reflect a dysregulated immunological network in autistic children. Elevated lactate may point to metabolic abnormalities with possible mitochondrial involvement. However, unchanged pyruvate and lactate/pyruvate ratio do not support overt mitochondrial dysfunction. These findings require replication in larger studies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany",
    "Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universtität Dresden, Dresden, Germany",
    "German Centre for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), Partner Site Leipzig/Dresden, Dresden, Germany",
    "Department Psychologie, Fakultät Naturwissenschaften, Medical School Berlin (MSB), Berlin, Germany"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Nicole Beyer"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Theresia Volk"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Hella Luksch"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Melanie Ring"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Nora C. Vetter"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Angela Roesen-Wolff"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Min Ae Lee-Kirsch"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Veit Roessner"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bbxxjm1c4eghz.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1904470",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13697830/",
  "id": "bbxxjm1c4eghz",
  "issns": [
    "1664-0640"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1904470",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2805|Autism Spectrum Disorder Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221519089",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13697830/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13697830",
  "pmid": "42936456",
  "published": "2026-10-12",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bbxxjm1c4eghz.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:49Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13697830",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1904470"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:18Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1904470",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1904470/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:25Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13697830",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13697830"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2805|Autism Spectrum Disorder Research",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Altered cytokine profiles and elevated lactate levels in children with autism spectrum disorder: indications of a dysregulated immune-metabolic network?",
  "title_text": "Altered cytokine profiles and elevated lactate levels in children with autism spectrum disorder: indications of a dysregulated immune-metabolic network?",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:34:48Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bbxxjm1c4eghz",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Psychiatry",
  "versions": []
}